Zero Rough Sleeping agreed at Full Council after pressure from the Liberal Democrats
Under the Liberal Democrats, Bedford Borough Council had a proactive approach to tackling rough sleeping. However, when the new Conservative Cabinet was appointed in 2023, they changed the previous policy and actually removed the accommodation for some people who ended up rough sleeping again.
At Full Council on Wednesday 10th July, the Council’s new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy was presented. Liberal Democrats successfully forced a U-turn and the aim for zero rough sleeping was reinstated.
Cllr Dean Crofts thanked the officers for their hard work on the report and was pleased to highlight how recommendations made by the Liberal Democrats were included in the final edition. The Liberal Democrat Group was only prepared to support the Strategy in full because the Portfolio Holder committed to further amending the report. The amendment was vital:
‘to reduce the number of people sleeping rough, aiming for zero rough sleepers'.
With this key pledge in place, the Liberal Democrat Group was prepared to support the report at Full Council and remains committed to the principle of a fair deal for all in terms of housing.
Cllr Crofts commented, “We asked for this vital amendment regarding help for rough sleepers as we were very concerned about the number of people having to sleep rough increasing since this Conservative administration came in and changed the approach we had taken previously. Having a roof over your head is one of the most basic needs for anyone.”